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The Centre has clarified it has nothing to do with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s photos on tiles laid at the houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban) in Madhya Pradesh.

The clarification came in a written reply submitted to the Madhya Pradesh high court’s Gwalior bench. The court had earlier issued notices to the state and central governments after a petition was filed in July against the tiles. A Datia resident Sanjay Purohit had filed the petition saying the tiles were being laid in view of the assembly elections in the state this year.

Assistant solicitor general of India Vivek Khedkar on Monday filed the reply on behalf of the Union housing and urban affairs ministry. The state government is yet to submit its reply.

“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is implementing PMAY (U) and providing assistance to states/UTs in addressing the housing requirements for eligible households in the urban areas,” Khedkar said in the reply. “To spread awareness among the people about the scheme, the ministry has advised all the state/union territory (UT) governments to display a standard logo of the PMAY (U) in all houses constructed under the PMAY (U).”

Khedkar said they have made it clear that the ministry’s advice was regarding the use of PMAY (U) logo only, not photo.

Madhya Pradesh urban administration and development minister Maya Singh said she would gather the information in this regard before commenting on the subject.

Purohit had challenged an April 4 order of Madhya Pradesh’s directorate of urban administration and development to lay tiles bearing Modi and Chouhan’s photos in the houses built under PMAY (U) in the state.

The order referred to Chouhan’s instructions at a meeting on PMAY on January 2. “Two tiles measuring 450x600 mm and bearing photos of Prime Minister and chief minister – one at the main gate and the other above the platform in the kitchen -- have to be fixed in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Shahri-2022)’s housing units,” the order said.